To the editor:

The current enthusiasm by the city council to even bother to explore an island electrical public utility can only be described as misplaced environmentalism.

They are focusing on an idea that has zero direct environmental impact on Bainbridge, costs a fortune and gives them one more thing to mismanage. According to the website, Chevron: Tracking Energy Demand Trends, in Washington “renewable energy accounted for 44.3 percent of the total energy consumed in Washington in 2014, followed by oil (32.5 percent), natural gas (14.9 percent), nuclear power (4.6 percent) and coal (3.6 percent).”

And they want to focus on coal?

So what are some better places to focus?

1. Become a national leader in converting Bainbridge Island garbage trucks and city vehicles to electric.

2. Convert Bainbridge Island rides and Access vehicles to electric.

3. Work with Island taxi companies to be the first Uber community franchise to have self-driving electric cars. This could rid the island of thousands of conventional cars and provide senior citizens and youth with unimagined access, not to mention solving the parking problem.

We all want to improve the environment, but let’s do it with something that has more impact, can be implemented faster, and at much less cost, while making Bainbridge Island a national leader.

BILL SAMS

Baibridge Island